Strong Egypt Party calls for constitution ‘no’

The Strong Egypt Party, founded by Muslim Brotherhood defector Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh, is promoting a “no” vote in the upcoming referendum on the draft constitution.

At a press conference on Monday to announce its official stance, the party urged all political forces and Egyptian citizens to vote “no” in the referendum, which Prime Minister Hazem al-Beblawi has said should take place in mid-January.

The 50-member committee tasked with amending the constitution finalized voting on the proposed articles and submitted the document to interim President Adly Mansour last week.

“We will not succumb to any political blackmail from ruling powers or from the [Muslim] Brotherhood, and we will not follow anything but our principles,” Abouel Fotouh said at the conference, according to the party’s official Twitter account.

“We are against terrorism in Sinai, but we are also against the way that security forces are dealing with the residents of the area, which will create new forms of terrorism,” he added.

Party member Ahmed Imam said, “We will not achieve full democracy until the military authority falls under the country’s elected authorities.”

Similarly, Mohamed Othman, also a member of the party, criticized the 50-member committee for not holding a national dialogue on the draft constitution, as stipulated in the constitutional declaration.

The declaration was issued by the interim authorities after the army removed President Mohamed Morsi from office following mass protests against him in July.

Last Thursday, the Salafi Nour Party said it would participate in the referendum and mobilize for a “yes” vote. At the time, party head Younis Makhyoun said the draft constitution was the first step on the path to stability that all Egyptians are aspiring for, according to state-run Middle East News Agency.

"[It] will prevent us from falling into the vortex of chaos. [Egyptians should] enjoy the results of their struggle against injustice instead of facing chaos," Makhyoun added.

Meanwhile on Sunday, the Egyptian Trade Union Federation said it would encourage voters to approve the constitution, despite objecting to the cancelation of the 50 percent quota for workers and farmers in parliament.